Deacon Gary – Homily 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
The readings today are filled with the message of new beginnings. Keep that in mind as I am sure each and every one of us want, or have wanted, a new beginning, a second chance, a time to make things better. We all know that Jerusalem has had a tumultuous history. A fresh start is not new to them. Our Lord and God always leaves that door open to us.
In the First Reading Jerusalem starts anew as the Lord makes the land his spouse. It makes reference that the Lord rejoices in Jerusalem as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride. Weddings celebrate the beginning of new relationships not only with your spouse but also a covenant with God. The future looks bright where the couple will have God in close relationship with them.
In the Second Reading Paul strongly affirms that the Holy Spirit provides us gifts to be used in service of our Lord which manifests the hand of God at work in the world. No matter what gift the Holy Spirit bestows on us, and each of us are given a gift, they are meant for us to use in the honor and glory of God. Have we used our gifts for the honor and glory of God? If not maybe we need a fresh start in how we serve our Lord. Our service makes God’s loving presence real to all the lives we touch, to all the lives God touches through us.
In the Gospel we see Jesus beginning his public ministry at the Wedding Feast of Cana. It is so appropriate that his glory was revealed at a wedding in that it represents a new beginning in relationship with God. When stated by Mary, “They have no wine”, Jesus’ response was one of reflection, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” Mary’s intent was most likely to avoid embarrassment of the family for running out of wine, but she may have also sensed Jesus needed a nudge. Take note that Mary did not ask Jesus to turn water into wine, she said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”
It was time for people to listen to him. It marks a new beginning for Jesus as well as a new beginning for his disciples. Jesus turning water into wine represents taking the ordinary and changing it into something extraordinary. This was the beginning of the formation of Jesus’ disciples where they began to believe in him. Only those closely involved experienced the miracle Jesus performed. But this beginning of his ministry foreshadows the end where at the last supper Jesus changed wine into his blood as is done at every Mass. This is taking common altar wine and changing it into something extraordinary, the literal life blood of the Church.
How do we participate in perpetuating the life blood of the Church? It is important to remember that we are the Church. Now we must live like we truly believe it. We have been given gifts to share with others in the world. Are we saying to ourselves, “My hour has not yet come.”? If so, what are we waiting for? We cannot perform miracles as Jesus can, so hopefully we are not waiting for that, if so, it will never be the right time to start. This can be a new beginning for each of us. The miracle we can all be a part in, is being part of the fulfillment of spreading the love of Christ throughout the world by doing our part in making Christ known to those around us and making his loving presence made real through us as members of the one body of Christ.
The best way to do that is to start right now. This job requirement given to us through our Baptism reads, “No experience necessary, just a love for Christ and a compassionate heart.” Things may not always work out the way we plan, but if everything we do is done out of love, we are on the right track. This can be a new beginning for us, like a wedding, we have all the hopes and desires for a wonderful life ahead of us, it may be a bit scary at times not knowing what lies ahead, but if we live our lives in relationship with God, with God on our side, though the road may have bumps or curves or even pot holes in it, we cannot go wrong.
Mary made this very clear in the Gospel today. These words from Mary are the very last words we hear from her in the bible. They are very profound, it is like she is doing a mic drop as she leaves Jesus and returns to the wedding. She is speaking to each and every one of us. She is telling us what the ordinary task of every Christian is. She simply and straight forward tells us, “Do whatever he tells you.”
So, let’s take to heart her motherly wisdom and make a fresh start, a new beginning for ourselves by listening to what Jesus tells us in scripture. Take the gifts that the Holy Spirit has armed us with, stop waiting, and now take action making his words of everlasting life come to life through receiving the Eucharist at Mass giving us his life giving strength and make your ordinary day an extraordinary experience for all you meet.